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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D'>Colleagues:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D'>I recently encountered the following situation in two probate matters.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoListParagraph style='text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>1.<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D'>Client is appointed as Administrator of Deceased’s estate. Deceased had accounts at two banks (Wells Fargo and Bank of America) and a credit union (BECU). On March 31, Administrator went to all three institutions with a Certificate of Death, certified Order Appointing, and certified Letters of Administration. She attempted to close out the three modest accounts and marshal the funds in order to place them in an estate account. Wells Fargo and BECU gave her the money and closed the accounts. Bank of America stated they need a “Letter of Instructions” and then need to “send everything to legal” for review before giving her the funds in Decedent’s account. Many telephone calls and visits to the bank later, as of last Friday, May 24, she still does not have the money and the account is still open.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoListParagraph><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoListParagraph style='text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>2.<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D'>Client is appointed as PR of his deceased brother’s estate. Brother’s Will intends for all of his assets to be placed into trust for benefit of his minor daughter, of which PR is also trustee. Decedent had four accounts at financial institutions – two of them are POD to the trust and two of them (Bank of America and Carpenter’s Trust – pension) are POD directly to minor child. For a number of reasons, we petitioned court to direct the two institutions with accounts POD (Bank of America and Carpenter’s Trust – pension) directly to minor to instead deliver the funds to trustee of the minor trust. We followed all relevant RCWs, including summons per TEDRA and also specific notice to Bank of America and Carpenter’s Trust per 11.11.050. Based on dealing with Bank of America in scenario number 1 above, I saw this coming so in my order, the Court specifically directed Bank of America to “immediately and without delay, deliver all assets in [Decedent’s name and account numbers] to PR / Trustee. Failure to promptly comply with this order shall be considered contempt of court.” PR went to Bank of America, for the second time, with certified Order Appointing, Letters Testamentary, Certificate of Death, and certified copy of the order we had just entered, and was told by bank manager that “we need to send this to legal, we will get back to you.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>It appears that B of A has a new policy, that no other banks or credit unions have to my knowledge, that being appointed PR and appearing at the bank with all of the necessary documents is not, in their view, sufficient, so they need to “send it to legal.” My jaded view is that the bank, by delaying the withdrawal of money from the accounts previously owned by Decedents, gets to continue to use the money to collect interest – although each account in and of itself is probably not worth very much, when you think of the thousands of accounts from thousands of Decedents that are being treated this way, those pennies add up (<i>see</i> the movie Office Space).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>At any rate, the client in scenario number 1 above has waited three weeks, the bank manager in scenario number 2 above is simply blowing off a court order (no doubt because she is simply following the bank directive).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Before I gulp down a large Starbucks and begin drafting Motion and Order to Show Cause for Contempt (does that even make sense?) and get an Order Shortening Time and have both managers personally served, I thought I might check in with my more experienced, and perhaps more rational, and certainly more mature, colleagues. Is this finally a chance to strike back at the empire or am I tilting at windmills? Any other ideas?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Jim Dolan<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D'>===================<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D'>Jones Butler Dolan, PS<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><u><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D'>www.jbdolan.com<o:p></o:p></span></u></p><p class=MsoNormal><u><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D'>www.jonesbutlerdolan.com<o:p></o:p></span></u></p><p class=MsoNormal><u><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D'><o:p><span style='text-decoration:none'> </span></o:p></span></u></p><p class=MsoNormal><u><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D'>Mount Vernon<o:p></o:p></span></u></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D'>P.O. Box 2784<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D'>720 South Main Street<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D'>Suite 233<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D'>Mount Vernon, WA 98273<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D'>Telephone: 360-336-2939<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D'>Facsimile: 360-336-2949<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><u><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D'>Stanwood<o:p></o:p></span></u></p><p class=MsoNormal><u><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D'><o:p><span style='text-decoration:none'> </span></o:p></span></u></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D'>P.O. Box 458<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D'>10027 - 269th Place NW (SR 532)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D'>Stanwood, WA 98292<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D'>Telephone: 360-629-3833<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D'>Facsimile: 360-629-6253<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><u><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p><span style='text-decoration:none'> </span></o:p></span></u></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></body></html>